Tuesday, February 6. 2018

Today's schedule is C-D-A-B

C Block Criminology 12 - Today we'll look at the difference between deviance and criminal behaviour (acts that are criminal but not deviant and deviant but not criminal). What is deviant behaviour? A simple explanation of deviant behaviour could be any action that violates cultural norms (formal norms like laws - or informal norms like nose picking). This is a difficult concept because what an individual or sub culture in society defines as deviant is contextually situated (meaning what I think is deviant may be different for you; it is subjective - influenced by personal considerations).

Take smoking in public. You may think that this behaviour is acceptable because an individual has the choice to consume a cigarette and they are merely harming themselves...no problem right? You may, however, think this behaviour is unacceptable. Second-hand smoke is hurtful to others because they could be harmed by someone else's behaviour. So what is deviant in many cases is subjective. What is criminal is the codification of what a society as a whole deems as deviant. Homicide is criminal because as a society we believe that taking another life is unacceptable and deviates from the accepted cultural norm that we wish our country to be like.

So using the text and your brains you need to come up with a list of things that are deviant but not criminal and a list of things that are criminal but not deviant. After you'll need to take one act from either list and explain why it should be criminalized or why it should be decriminalized. This should be based on an evaluation of harm...in other words how deviant or not is the action? If the action would cause great social harm then perhaps we should criminalize that behaviour. If the action causes minimal social harm then perhaps we should decriminalize that behaviour.

This will help us understand the Conflict, Interactionist and Consensus views on crime.

BC Open School Intro Sociology text Chapter 7
Relationship between Deviance and Crime (Jlaw)
Cliff Notes Theories of Deviance

D Block Human Geography 11 - Today we'll talk about the arrangement of people and activities found in space and try to understand why those people and activities are distributed the way they are. We'll figure out what density, distribution, concentration and pattern have to do with people an activities on the Earth's surface. Along with this we'll look at connections, diffusion, interaction and hearths in order to see how people and activities impact and are impacted by each other (through spatial interaction and networks). I'll have some definitions for you to work on for me and we'll take a look at Crash Course Globalization (#2)


A Block Law 12 - Today we'll look at the three sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that limit your individual rights (Reasonable Limits, Notwithstanding Clause and Where the Charter Applies). After this we'll identify what our fundamental freedoms are (section 2 a-d of the Charter). In partners I'll have you work on the R. v. Oakes (1986) case (discuss it in partners do not write the answers) which established the "Oakes Test" in Canadian law which allows reasonable limitations on rights and freedoms through legislation if it can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. We'll chat about it afterwords. Then, on your own, you'll need to complete questions 1-5 on page 40 of the All About Law text. After that I'll have you back in partners to work through the Multani v. Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys (2006) case on pages 41-42 of the All About Law text.


B Block Introduction to Law 10 - I have the library booked for you so that you may word process your crime theory interview. Remember, you are a famous Canadian criminologist being interviewed by George Stroumboulopoulos on his CBC television show. Today is the last day to work on this activity in class. Don't forget that you'll need brief paragraph that introduces the crime and gives a brief biography of you is the start. Then, you'll need five questions that George will ask you (the Criminology expert) about the crime, the perpetrator, the kind of person who commits that crime, the motives of that person, an explanation of your personal crime theory and then try to answer them using your theory.